Publisher’s description of FL Studio

FL Studio, formerly known as FruityLoops, is a fully featured, open-architecture music creation and production environment for PC. No extra software is required to produce any style of music, as the complete set of instrument and studio tools is included in the cost of the package. With the included plugins, sounds and tools the user can create complete songs, as well as backing tracks, loops and sizzling beats. Completed songs can be saved to WAV, MP3 or MIDI or .ZIP or native project formats (.FLP).FL Studio utilizes MIDI and DirectSound (internal mixing), 16-bit 44KHz stereo output, and 32-bit floating-point internal mixing. You’ll also get support for VST plug-ins, as well as individual panning, volume, pitch, mix, resonance, and cutoff on each note.

New in FL8 are Slicex, FL Synthmaker, Enhanced Edison WAV editor/recorder and Love Philter. Version 8 includes new Slicex drumloop slicing generator plugin, new SynthMaker modular environment, and support for MIDI SysEx input, and basic MMC functions.

Nothing fruity about FL Studio

Competition in the world of all-in-one music-creation suites has grown considerably since Fruity Loops first started breaking beats. With a new name and a new interface, FL Studio is reestablishing its place as a full-featured and affordable audio-production program.

The photo-realistic mixing-board interface, littered with small, unlabeled icons and burdened with a confusing file browser, makes the learning curve steeper than it should be. Once you clear that hurdle, though, this enjoyable product will have you making music in no time. The Fruityslicer makes short work of chopping up breaks, and the simple step-based drum machine lets you create your own. You can bind FL Studio to other programs via VSTi and DXi plug-ins. A full selection of software instruments is included so you can start playing immediately. All the usual suspects are there, from vintage, buzzy, analog imitators to wacky sound effects and generic voice samples.

FL Studio offers a tremendous value for what you get. Comparable products cost nearly twice as much. FL Studio’s quirky sound generators and interoperability make it a great addition to any studio. Be warned, though: several versions of FL Studio are available, so more features are included as the price goes up.